Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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| Dear Community,
I hope this message finds you in good spirits with summer moments of relaxation and restoration. Together, we continue to find pathways in service to others amid structural inequities. The National Association of Social Work released this June a document that I encourage all Silver members to review. The report entitled Undoing Racism Through Social Work reflects on the continuous action needed at all levels to eradicate racism. First, how does white supremacy and the cycle of oppression enable our fears, biases, and justification of exclusionary actions? Second, as we come together in classrooms and departments, how do we foster a culture that values all people rooted in authentic conversations? Third, as a professional association of social workers, how do we hold ourselves accountable for addressing racism and contributing to transformative solutions that will impact oppression? These moments of reflection allow us to move forward toward transformational action.
Finally, I want to celebrate the community actions such as the Days of Learning hosted by the Antiracism Seminar for Staff Work Group, the DEI Stakeholder Strategic Planning Process, and the Restorative Justice Healing circles to address and repair harm. These efforts, which you will read about in this issue, offer a pathway to sustain focus, build engagement, and create momentum toward systemic changes. I am so appreciative for all the individual, team, and professional DEI contributions made this academic year and the future ones to come.
Sincerely,
Richeleen Dashield
Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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| TransparencyHow, when, and to whom are we communicating important information? Are we only communicating when it is easy or also when it is not?
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Silver's Stakeholder Meetings for DEI Strategic Planning
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hosted three DEI Stakeholder meetings, which focused on advancing community engagement and transparency, discussing accountability structures in the DEI Strategic Planning Process, and aligning community practices with social work’s core values. In addition, the community participated in a presentation by the Lindsay Group, consultants recommended by the NYU Office of Global Inclusion to aid in this work (recording available here). We encourage you to review the DEI Stakeholder Resource folder in preparation for the start of the DEI Strategic Planning Process that will begin this fall semester and look forward to more engagement.
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| TrustHow are we following through on our responsibility to antiracism? What actions are we taking to ensure all members of the Silver community are protected against bias?
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Silver's Climate Support Initiative
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| CommunityHow are we creating an environment for healing and working together? Are we resisting isolation and allowing ourselves to be seen?
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NYU Silver’s Antiracist Days of Learning
This summer, the NYU Silver’s Antiracism Seminar for Staff Work Group created a series of three Days of Learning for Silver staff. The goal is to provide consistent and intentional opportunities for all staff to build antiracist and anti-oppressive practices in the workplace. The first two sessions, which were each attended by a robust group of participants, took place in June and July and focused on community building and bystander/upstander training by The National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC), respectively. The third session is scheduled for August 19 and more details will be shared soon. Each Day of Learning includes three hours of guided discussion, community engagement, dialogue around antiracism practices, and self-reflection to encourage personal growth and build a more inclusive School environment.
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| AccountabilityHow are we holding each other accountable for antiracism?
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NASW: Undoing Racism Through Social Work
In June, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) released its report, Undoing Racism Through Social Work, detailing a list of harms done throughout the history of social work in America and its ongoing attempts to reverse these harms
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The Problem Isn’t White People — It’s Whiteness, People
Tim Wise, an anti-racism educator and author of nine books, writes “Anti-racists aren’t trying to make anyone feel bad. It’s called a systematic analysis for a reason.”
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Center for Justice & Reconciliation
The Center for Justice & Reconciliation is based in Washington, DC, and works to develop and promote restorative practices in criminal justice systems worldwide.
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Calling In: A Quick Guide on When and How
This article via Everyday Feminism outlines strategies on helpful ways to initiate the.call-in process to those who have caused harm.
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Microaggression Training from OGI
This two-hour online module provides a detailed overview of racial and other microaggressions and strategies for mitigating and addressing them when they occur.
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Serial: Nice White Parents
This podcast by Serial on NPR explores discrimination in public education by focusing on a predominantly Black and Brown school district that experienced an influx of White students.
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| Share Antiracism Resources!If you have antiracism resources you would like to share for the next edition of the newsletter we have limited spots available. Please email silver.DEI@nyu.edu with the subject "DEI Newsletter Submission."
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